Tom Wagner drops Jude Bellingham return hint amid Birmingham City stadium plans | OneFootball

Birmingham City's owner hopes that their new ground can lure Jude Bellingham back to the club

Tom Wagner has stated that Birmingham City’s new stadium could lead to the return of Jude Bellingham.

Blues have enjoyed an exciting few years since Knighthead Capital Management bought a stake in the club and the future looks to have even better times in store.

The Second City side demolished League One last term, clinching the title in record-breaking fashion, before enjoying an ambitious summer of recruitment in the transfer market to announce their ambitions to the Championship.

It is still yet to be seen whether Birmingham can challenge for promotion at the first time of asking, but they will likely join that fight in years to come if it isn’t possible this season.

As well as improvements on the pitch, there have also been a number of exciting developments away from playing football for Blues, which owner Tom Wagner believes could bring Real Madrid superstar Jude Bellingham back to the club one day.

Tom Wagner claims that Birmingham City’s new stadium could bring Jude Bellingham home

One of the major developments for Blues under their new owners is the plan to build a new 62,000-seater stadium, which will be encompassed in their sports quarter project.

A detailed model of what this new ground will look like was recently revealed, with the design earning much attention for its striking, unique look paying homage to the Second City’s industrial heritage.

As well as helping Birmingham compete at the highest level from a facilities standpoint, Wagner has also revealed that he hopes the stadium can lure Bellingham back for a return to the side where it all started for him in the future.

“I think Jude is the greatest player on the planet today,” stated Wagner, as per the Independent. “And I think his potential is not even close…we haven’t seen anywhere near his full potential yet, not just as a player on the pitch, but also what he can do for a community, what he can do as a leader.

"And so if we can provide him a platform to achieve his full potential, well then that’s a great story. It’s a great coming home story, it’s a great Birmingham story. It’s a great England story.”

Bellingham came through the youth ranks with the Second City outfit before impressing in the first team during the 2019/20 campaign as a 16-year-old.

Blues’ new stadium will include a retractable roof and changeable pitch, designed to host a variety of events including NFL games and major concerts.

Birmingham City would have to significantly improve to attract Jude Bellingham anytime soon

Although the idea of seeing Bellingham return to Birmingham is a romantic one, it doesn’t seem realistic at this moment in time.

The Real Madrid midfielder is one of the best players in the world and has already claimed the Champions League and La Liga titles during his time in Spain.

At just 22 years of age, Bellingham could continue competing at the highest level for potentially the next 15 years, which means that Blues would have to significantly improve their standing during that time.

Birmingham’s new ground is planned to be completed by the 2030/31 season, which gives them some time to fight up the divisions. However, if they can’t progress towards the top of the Premier League, it’s hard to see Bellingham making a return, even if it would be to an impressive new ground.